Servicer for tire building machines



Aug. 30, 1949.

Filed Feb. 5, 1947 W. J. BRETH SERVICER FOR TIRE BUILDING MACHINES 5 Shee'ts-Sheet l /57 INVENTOR Walter J. .Bre th ATTORNEYS W. J. BRETH SERVICER FOR TIRE BUILDING MACHINES Aug. 3o, 1949.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1947 INVENTOR TVltgr J. Bretlr,

TORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb 5, 1947 INVENTOR -Walter Breth ATTORNEYS Aug. 30, 1949. W. J. BRETH SERVICER FOR TIRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 5, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 v ATTORNEYS W. J. BRETH SERVICER FOR TIRE BUILDING MACHINES Aug. 30, 1949.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 5, 1947 Q new h a R O .r m3 WJ. r e u Wa ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 30, 1949 .2,480,794 Asam/1min Toit ffmc BUILDING :IMAGENES eran-er J. stron, @his assigne s@ 'one .(,eneral Tire and Rubber .Qhioa corporation of Ohio Akron.

This invention relates to devices ,for-Supplying fabric lto 'stire building machin-es fand more partioularly to fa device V:which automatically .main- 'ia sarede'termined amountrof :fabric :in mos-if .tion to :be delivered tofa tire building-machine.

' 'l'.heiiinvention has for pits obj'ect-'to :provide a fabric supplying :device jo'f :simple and inexpensite .fconstmucti-m which :facilitates the :.pplicationeof zlabric zpli'es -to a ftir-e v'carcass being :buiit upon aadrum.

` lEabric :used in tire ouildingfisicomposed Aof fbias eutpi'eces joined end to-end :to form :strips that @rented to 'the tire building machine. It is `inriportant, particularly ,in 1 feeding .narrow strip-s :of abric sdch fas :breaker fandfc'haier strips, :to favoid .the iaqaplcation .fof ftens'ion .to the strips during their .delivery ato and application toftbe tireebuilding drum, :since f a pull on fthe str-ips Vtend-s xtc stretch theifabric. nInithelca-se offcord ia'bric lsuch as used for ebreaiker strips, .the stretching. iincreases fthe space 4net-Ween ,the :cords rand .in :the case sof sou-are ywos/en tabric suon asgiised @for chaierstrips, -t'lflefstrip is narrowedibystret-ching.

viAzn important fobject @of the mresenft'finviention issto provide rf-abisicisupplying meansrinfwhich the fabric is subjected to veryfalittleitensioniso :that stretching: ofithe-:fabric is; avoided.

.saiflntherobject fof the :invention-fis @to provide a deviceffor 1supplying fapluralityfo fabric strips simultaneously tto a f'dnum iin fssuch manner -`:that 'each strip is iireelymovable v:independentls; fof ,the others, :thereby avoiding :the :application :of 1m,- eonal v'tensions Lto the strips vas :they are -rbeing wourrdnponitherdrum.

`^with the above fand {otherfobjectsiin :viev,1the -inventionmay-ibe .said tocomprise -sth'e device :illustrated :in fthe :accompanying drawing-s, -xheree inafter'fdescribed fand particularly. setiorthinit-he amended claims, together -With such variations andimcdiitications :Ethereof Vas will abe. apparentrzto measklilled the Afart ato zvvhichfathe iuventiongoerbains.

Reference should berhadzto the :accompanying drawingsiorming a apart :ofthis specification, :1in which:

iigm'e :il is aside elevationcof-"a :fabric supply device-embodying the inventionpositioned :adjacent ft'o a ltire"building i'drum to which the-.fabric -is rto ihezsup'plied';

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on thef-line indicated at 2--2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3` is :a zpartialfrear elevation ofv the` machine wiewed as Pin'dicated' by the Iarrows Z13-i3 in=Fig.-l=1;

ig. 41=is a topplan Wiew of fthe =Inachine;

'fJEig 55 .fis `a itop @plan lvieWf-o'f ithe .fabric delivery table viewedas :indicated fby the arrows :ein Fig. 'l2 Y f5 ois a :verticale-section through lthe :drive control .device .taken on :the .fl-ine indicated at indig-i3f;

'ziFig "i7 asdfe ,elevation showing a -modield construction .embodying 4the #invention .-an'cl f8 a rearse'levaton of sthefmaehtne shown l'liig. 57.

ghe .device of etne Yspresezit@intention-'fis:designed *to .servi-ce `a :conventional itee building machine, the .daium l .of -fmlsiich ais Vslimme in Fig. :1 .of drawing. The fabric supply deviceozfatnepnesent innenticm iis en ounted'iat the sear :ofitheitireibl-ld ing-drinn Ll :and comprising @ao-ase# 'and'aixerticalfstasnand:canriedby thetlsase. 'Tlhe ibas va 'Ibraoket 4 cproieeting Vreaiozvandi?! therefrom which supports -a 'horizontal'..sinet i5 which @provides -ia Y.sono ont Yfor .-,a Y. fabric veel the strait i5 :being provided with '.-a :drum i1 -zwheizi iis engaged :adustable friction iband i8 slightlyfretards the rotation .of ethe vteelten :asitonsuremniformtyiofafeed.

Below. thelhizacketfdia-ndiat oppositesidesthereF of, y`tlzre standard ibas ibrackets S which soppoiit shafts Il azpnn which fabric reels itil mail be sletaclzxahly mounted. ^tlill'le fshaftsilrhavedrums :t2 engagedhy :adjustable friction 'ihands il 3. :Ahozizorrtal shaft alisfcarriedp-by the :standard-.3 iat upperiend :and :shait :carries :a .center roller I5 that is in alinementwithxthe .reelf sandepcllers t5 ion vopposite sides of the :roller @willich-are v:alined 'with `Lthefrees -I:l, the #rollers A45 and f5 heingro'tatable 'with fthe shaft 'M. The shat itil hasn-sprocket fl'lfthatreceivesan endless sprocket chai-n 11:'8 :tha'textends ffrome'the #top 'of 1 the standard -ltoia sprocket If-@mounted onthef-Lbase Thesprocket9 fis `driven @through--suitable-reducftifonfgearingefrom 4la motor 2U. 3-Faicric'ngimthe reels Ji6 `and itil -fpasses over jthe rollers'it `an'tlelfl and isiadvanced -by #the rotation oftnese P`rollers. vg:Theestaniiartl 3 hfas frigid' rearwardlygprojeoting armsiii'adjacent itslupperendito Which-forwardly extendingfarms T'2-2, -vr`23 and are -pvoted atftlei'r rear/ends byfmean-s o f afshaft 25. "Tahe armsfgZ, 2-3 2H :carry xsliortfhorizontal shafts-:26, f2 lgan iwh'ic'h fare -iadapted to `receive liner reels-@9580 andil l'moon which Ithe liners, with 'which-#tire tire fabric iswrapp'edonethereels :and ISI arewound. The freels `542.9', "SD and `l-3I lare Lpositioned directly over ithe rol1ers 't5 iand fl-6 and -arevfsupporte''l thereonbyffgravity, the'fabric-woundonthe reels @,tfyf-andfil bearing against the=tii=e iiiabric on the rollersllfeandlmsoithat'theilinerwindlgp reels -arefiiiiotionally'driven 'at aperipheral speeiequal to that of the fabric to uniformly wind the liners. The arms 22, 23 and 24 are adapted to be suD- ported by suitable toggles 34 in a position clear of the fabric feed rollers l5 and i6 to facilitate the removal of yfull reels from the shafts 26, 21 and 28 and the mounting of empty reels thereon.

Short arms project forwardly from the upper end of the standard 3 and these arms support idler rollers 38 which are alined with the rollers I5 and I6. Below the rollers 36 a forwardly projecting bracket 31 is attached to the standard 3 and this bracket carries a pivoted standard 38 at its forward end which is connected to the bracket by means of a pivot shaft 39. The standard 38 carries a feed table 40 which is adapted to support the ends of the fabric strips that have been fed by the driven rollers l5 and i6 in a position where they are conveniently accessible to a tire builder who -is building a tire carcass on the drum l. The standard 38 is normally held in a position such that the table 43 is elevated above the drum I and is yieldingly held by a spring 4| in this position. When the operator desires to apply the fabric strips to the drum he can pull the table 40 forwardly to a position closely overlying the drum and apply the strips to the tire carcass so that upon rotation of the drum the strips will be drawn over the table 4D to the drum.

The bracket 31 carries axially alined guide rollers 42 which are spaced forwardly of the rollers 36 so that free hanging festoons of fabric may be supported in front of the standard 3. Axially alined guide rollers 43 are provided at the rear end of the table 4D and the table 40 is provided with suitable guide anges 44 and 45 that overlie the center and side strips which are fed over the table to the drum. The center strip may be a breaker strip and the side strips may be chaffer strips. During intervals between the application of the fabric to the drum, the fabric will accumulate in independently movable festoons suspended from the rollers 36 and 42 in front of the standard 3. The speed of operation of the rollers I5 and i6 is such that sufficient material for the breaker and chaifer strips of a tire will accumulate in the free festoons during the interval between the application of the strips to successive tire carcasses. The free ends of the tacky fabric strips may be secured byV turning them back upon the top faces of the flanges 44 and 45 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In order to prevent an excess accumulation of fabric, means is provided for automatically stopping the motor when a predetermined amount of fabric has been fed to the festoons. The control of the device of the present invention is adapted to be operated by the weight of one of the festoons and includes a control member positioned directly beneath one of the festoons. The drive control device is mounted upon a bracket 45 attached to the standard 3 and having front and rear upwardly extending arms 41 and 48. The rear arm 48 has an angle plate 49 attached thereto which has a forwardly extending flange 5B to which a control plate 5l is connected by means of a pivot 52. The plate 5| has a bent arm 53 projecting from its rear edge and extending through a slot 54 in the plate 49. A spring 55 is attached at one end to the arm 53 and at the other end to the bracket 46, to normally hold the plate 5l in an inclined position. The plate 5l 1has a spring metal stop arm 56 attached thereto and projecting past its forward edge, and this stop arm engages with a stop member 51 attached to the forward arm 41 of thebracket.

the stop member 51 being so positioned as to be engaged by the arm 56 when the plate 5| is in substantially horizontal position.

The plate 5| carries a mercury switch 58 which controls the motor 20, the switch 58 being closed and energizing the motor 20 when the plate 5l is in its elevated inclined position. The plate 5l is positioned directly beneath one of the fabric festoons, preferably the center festoon, and is moved downwardly in opposition to the spring as the weight of the fabric is imposed thereon by the operation of the rollers i5 and I6 feeding fabric to the festoon. The stop plate 5l is positioned at a distance below the rollers 38 such that the amount of fabric in the festoon will be enough to supply the length of fabric required for one tire casing, so that the fabric may be drawn from the festoons to the tire building drum upon rotation of the drum after the operator has applied the strip ends to fabric on the drum.

By reason of the fact that the fabric is suspended in free festoons, very little tension is applied to the fabric in its passage from the feed rollers I5 and I6 to the tire building drum and distortion of the fabric due to stretching is avoided. Also by reason of the fact that the festoons are movable independently of one another, there is no inequality in tension during the winding of the fabric strips on the drum.

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing a slightly modi- -ed form of the invention is illustrated. In this device a feed table 60 is mounted in an upwardly inclined position at the rear of the drum l and this feed table may be supported from the frame of the tire building machine by a suitable bracket 6I. The table 60 is preferably adjustable by suitable means such as an adjustable brace 62.

The fabric feed mechanism is similar to that previously disclosed except that a relatively short standard is employed. The parts numbered from 2 to 34 in Figs. l to 5 of the drawings are employed without substantial change in the modification shown in Figs. '7 and 8 and these parts are indicated by the same reference numerals with the letter a added.

The fabric fed by the driven rollers |50J and IGa passes under guide rollers 36a and over a xed guide roller 63 positioned above the top of the standard. The fabric strips are supported in free hanging festoons between the rollers 63 and the feed table 60 in a manner similar to the festoons in the modification rst described. A control plate 64 is mounted beneath one of the festoons and this plate is connected to the bas-e 2a to swing vertically. A counterweight 66 attached to the plate 64 normally holds the plate against the under side of a stop 65 which is so positioned as to normally hold the plate 64 in a horizontal position. When the plate B4 is subjected to the weight of the fabric of the overlying festoon, it is moved downwardly to an inclined position. The plate G4 carries a motor controlling mercury switch 61 which serves to stop the motor when the plate 64 is depressed.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the specic device herein shown and described for purposes of illustration, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprising a frame having means for supporting a plurality of rolls of bias cut tire fabric, a horizontal shaft on said frame having a plurality of rollers side by side thereon over which the fabric strips pass, a delivery table adapted to support ends of the fabric strip passed over said rollers, said table being spaced from said rollers whereby the fabric strips may hang in independent festoons side by side between said rollers and said table, means for driving said shaft, and means positioned in the path of one of said festoons only for controlling said driving means.

2. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprises a frame having means for supporting a plurality of rolls of bias cut tire fabric, a horizontal shaft on said frame having a plurality of rollers side by side thereon over which the fabric strips pass, a delivery table adapted to support ends of the fabric strip passed over said rollers, said table being spaced from said rollers whereby the fabric strips may hang in independent festoons side by side between said rollers and said table, means for driving said shaft, a yieldably supported movable plate positloned beneath one of the festoons and adapted to be moved by the weight of fabri-c imposed thereon, and means operated by said plate for controlling the operation of said driving means.

3. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprising a frame having means for supporting a plurality of rolls of bias cut tire fabric, a horizontal shaft on said frame having a plurality of rollers side by side thereon over which the fabric strips pass, a delivery table adapted to support ends of the fabric strip passed over said rollers, said table being spaced from said rollers whereby the fabric strips may hang in independent festoons side by side between said rollers and said table, an electric motor for driving said shaft, a plate beneath one of said festoons pivoted to swing about a horizontal axis, yieldable means for normally holding said plate in a horizontal position and permitting downward movement thereof under the weight of fabric resting thereon, and a switch operated by said plate to stop the motor when the plate is depressed and to start the same when the plate is returned to normal position.

4. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprising a frame having a base and a standard, a horizontal shaft supported at the top of the standard, a plurality of rollers mounted side by side on said shaft, a plurality of supports for fabric reels on said standard each positioned in alinement with one of said rollers, a rearwardly extending arm secured to the standard adjacent its upper end, arms pivoted at their rear ends to said rearwardly extending arms and having means at their free ends for rotatably supporting liner wind-up reels in positions to rest on said rollers in frictional engagement therewith, means including a motor mounted on said base for driving said shaft, a delivery table spaced from said rollers to permit fabric to accumulate in festoons between the rollers and said table, and means for supporting said pivoted arms in an elevated position with said reels out of engagement with said rollers.

5. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprising a frame having a base and a standard, a horizontal shaft supported at the top of the standard, a plurality of rollers mounted side by side on said shaft, a plurality of supports for fabric reels on said standard each positioned in alinement with one of said rollers, s, rearwardly extending arm secured to the standard adjacent its upper end, arms pivoted at their rear ends to said rearwardly extending arms and having means at their free ends for rotatably supporting liner wind-up reels in positions to rest upon said rollers in frictional engagement therewith, means for supportng said arms in an elevated position with said reels clear of said rollers, a motor mounted on said base, and a driving connection from said motor to said shaft.

6. A fabric delivering device for servicing tire building machines comprising a frame having means for rotatably supporting a roll of bias out cord fabric, a roller over which said fabric passes, a delivery table adapted to support an end ofthe fabric passed over said roll in a position accessible to the operator of a tire building machine, said table being spaced from said roller to allow the fabric to hang in a festoon between said roller and table, means for driving said roller to deliver fabric to said festoon, and means for controlling said driving means comprising a flat plate beneath said festoon and pivo-ted to swing about an axis parallel to said roller and disposed laterally of said festoon, yieldable means exerting a thrust on said plate tending to swing the same upwardly, a stop limiting the upward movement of said plate and positioning the plate beneath the festoon, whereby the lower end c-f the festoon will rest upon the plate, upon an increase in the length and the weight of the fabric said festoon will move said plate downwardly, and means operated by said plate and acting upon said driving means to stop said roller when the plate is depressed by the fabric and to start said roller when said plate is relieved of the weight of the fabric.

WALTER J. BRETH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,064,035 Whalen June 10, 1913 1,616,363 Gammeter Feb. 1, 1927 1,624,223 Eakin Apr. 12, 1927 1,876,761 Rosener Sept. 13, 1932 2,051,781 Brown Aug. 18, 1936 2,277,514 Elser Mar. 24, 1942 2,289,933 Rankin July 14, 1942 2,313,035 Breth Mar. 9, 1943 2,441,791 Bostwick May 18, 1948 

